Kate Middleton stole the show in a $135 million tiara at this week’s state banquet at Windsor Castle.
The Princess of Wales, 44, dazzled in the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, which features 19 diamond-encrusted arches and 28 dangling pear-shaped pearls. The show piece, once worn by the late Princess Diana, has become a signature piece for the Princess of Wales,’ wearing it publicly more than a dozen times since 2015.
The Princess of Wales teamed her headwear with a Grecian-inspired butter-yellow gown crafted by one of her go-to designers, Elie Saab, which grazed the floor as she was photographed walking alongside her husband, Prince William, at the Tuesday, October 20, event.
The dress also incorporated a plaited scoop neckline, a sheer train and a ruched bodice with a subtle peephole cutout at the chest.
According to a report by People, she also wore King Charles’ Royal Family Order and the Royal Victorian Order sash and star, as well as a pair of earrings and a bracelet that originally belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth.
The tiara was originally commissioned by Queen Mary from Garrard in 1913, per the U.K.’s luxury auction house Christie’s, to replicate “an ancestral jewel” known as the Cambridge’s Lover’s Knot Tiara.
Tuesday’s event, staged in honor of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman’s state visit to the U.K., was hosted by the princess’ father-in-law, King Charles, and his wife, Queen Camilla, who wore a tiara of her own: the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara.
Princess Anne was also in attendance, wearing the Meander Tiara.
The Princess of Wales is no stranger to luxurious style pieces while out in public, most recently sporting a $66,000 necklace at the London Digger premiere. Arriving in a plum Jenny Packham gown, she finished her look with the rare Queen Mother’s Amethyst Sautoir Necklace at the September 22 event.
The necklace was originally given to Queen Elizabeth’s mother, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, in 1923 as a wedding gift, and features pearls, diamonds and the matching purple stone.
Simultaneously, the Princess of Wales is known for turning heads in more casual pieces, including her Ugg boots and Superga 2750 Cotu Classic canvas sneakers.
As for her penchant for Elie Saab designs, the royal was seen in June 2023 at the Jordanian royal wedding in a blush-pink creation by the Lebanese designer. She also rocked a sheer powder-blue coord that year while attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
